This
site is one of the Democracy in Action sites documenting recent
presidential campaigns: P2012
| P2008 | P2004 |
P2000.
It can
be accessed at "http://www.P2008.org" or
"http://www.gwu.edu/~action/P2008.html"

Overview: In 2008
there were
open races for both parties' presidential nominations.
For the first time since
1952 a sitting president or vice president was not a candidate for
nomination of either major party. What transpired was
the most costly ($2.4 billion
according to
the Center for Responsive Politics) and seemingly the longest
presidential campaign in American history. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) rebounded from
near implosion of his campaign to emerge as the Republican
nominee. On the Democratic side, after a lengthy primary battle,
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) outmaneuvered Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), who
had early on been seen as the frontrunner. Benefitting from
President George W. Bush's unpopularity, a huge fundraising advantage,
and an unprecendented field organization, Obama garnered 69.5 million
votes (52.9%) to 59.9 million (45.7%) for McCain, carrying 28 states
and
DC, and winning 365 electoral votes to 173 for McCain (+). In
addition
to
reclaiming the White House, Democrats also control both
houses of Congress. Republicans,
meanwhile,
face
a
period of rebuilding.